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To view the photos click on “Photos April 2007” above.
Mr. Mencken wasn’t completely wrong about Texas. But apparently he didn’t appreciate the raw beauty of nature. Our trip from Terlingua via Lajitas to Presidio and back along the Rio Grande on April 1st (see photos) was certainly not in vain, since we surely saw a lot where “nothing” existed. This area hasn’t yet been scarred by “civilization.”
part of Big Bend National Park on the Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive, through Tuff Canyon to the Castolon Visitor’s Center and from there to Elena Canyon (see photos). The return trip was via the Old Maverick Road (unpaved, dusty and rocky) where we stopped at a very interesting structure called Luna’s Jacal (see photos). In this partially underground structure, Gilberto Luna lived until 1947, when he died at the age of 108. He had raised a family of 14 children in this structure! |
That evening we celebrated our 39th wedding anniversary at the “La Kiva” in Terlingua, one of the few restaurants in the area. Lobo joined us on the terrace (see photos)
Our plans were to meet our friend, Dick at the Rio Grande Village on April 5th at 2 PM and we wanted to arrive early and get settled in before his arrival. Dick is a Hobby- Birdwatcher and wanted to make this trip to see some migrating birds. All went as planned and on the first evening we had Bratwurst, which we grilled on an open fire. On Friday Dick went to Elena Canyon (which we had already seen) and we spent the day at the nearby hot springs (see photos). That evening Dick invited us for supper at the Chisos Mountain Lodge (Yes, there are mountains in Texas!). The food was quite good although Dick’s brisket wasn’t fully up to par. On the return trip we had a temperature drop in the mountains that brought extremely heavy fog. During the night heavy winds caused an electrical outage that lasted until the following afternoon. This weather change affected Dick to the point that we wrapped him in blankets and turned on our gas furnace to warm him up (see photos). After breakfast we drove to Boquillas Canyon. On the way we stopped to take photos of the Mexican side that could be seen in the distance. Since 9/11 these small border crossing have been closed. The tourism and sale of local Mexican wares has halted, causing the locals to abandon small villages on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande. Chuck and Dick waited in the truck while Renée took a few pictures. Renée fell while running back to the warmth of the truck, putting a hole in her knee and the pants, and destroying the digital camera on a rock. The photos of Boquilla Canyon lookout were on the internal digital card and consequently, rescued. But no photos of the canyon itself were possible because our second camera (non-digital) was back at the RV. We did walk to the end of the canyon and its beauty is unfortunately recorded not on film but only in our memories. Dick took only a short walk and then waited for us in the truck. Since it was so cold, we then spent the afternoon at the visitor’s center watching a film about rafting the Rio Grande. Afterward, we took Dick back to his campsite since he wanted to take a nap. When we returned to the RV, the electricity was back on. That evening we had shrimp for supper (bought while in Louisiana and then frozen). After supper we watched a Spanish film with sub-titles that Dick had brought along. The following day (Easter Sunday), the weather had improved and we took a hike in the Chisos Mountains (see photos). We had lunch at the Chisos Mountain Lodge. On Monday we left Bid Bend National Park (sunny, 75° F), with Dick following us in his Toyota. We took US 385 North and shortly before Marathon we had lunch at a rest stop. That evening we stopped outside of Sanderson on US 90, where we grilled a chicken at the rest area and spent the night there (see photos). Our groceries need to be replenished so after visiting Langtry where Judge Roy Bean (<- - please click) presided (see photos), we drove to Del Rio, spending two nights at Laughlin Air Force Base and went shopping. During our shopping trip for groceries and a new digital camera, Dick visited one of the local birding sites. On Wednesday evening we had supper at a Chinese buffet and the following morning we left toward the Texas “Hill Country” to visit the state parks that are famous in the world of bird-watchers. This took us through Brackettville to Rocksprings to the Lost Maples State Nature Area. The park ranger tried to place us in the middle of about twenty Boy Scout tents. We knew what that night would have been like so we decided instead to spend the night at a nearby rest area where we could actually rest instead of spending the night listening to about a hundred Boy Scouts. Dick spent a while at the park but joined us later at the rest area. Friday the thirteenth brought rain. Around noon we returned to Lost Maples and bought a year’s pass for Texas State Parks, which allows free entry to the parks and camping at a reduced rate. That afternoon when the rain subsided, Dick showed us the various birds and then while he continued his birding further in the park, we took a nap in our recliners under the trees. Around 3 PM Dick returned and we continued our drive on Texas 187. In Utopia we fueled up and headed West on Highway 1050 to Garner State Park. The check- in at this park was ridiculous, waiting in line for forty five minutes and spending over fifteen minutes at the counter. All of this is normally done in less than five minutes at other parks. When we finally were set up at the camp site, Chuck and Dick made a fire for grilling the pork chops. Just as the pork chops were almost done, a rain storm erupted, followed by hail. The hail stones were quite unusual, shaped like a slightly flattened egg and about 1 ¼ inches long. The noise of the hail falling on the RV, the truck and Dick’s car was quite loud and we were sure that severe damage was being done. Fortunately, we were wrong. We collected a few of the hail stones and froze them as proof of their size! On the following day the weather was cool and windy. We took a walk along the Rio Frio with Lobo while Dick pursued his bird-watching (see pictures / slide show). From the Hill Country we drove in a southerly direction on US 83 back along the Rio Grande past Laredo to Falcon State Park where we once again observed some very interesting birds (see photos). On April 17th we stopped in Mission, TX for three days at a private campground. The weather there was quite tropical, reaching 97°F with orange and grapefruit trees separating the parking spots (see photos). Renée required two trips to Nuevo Progreso, Mexico (nearby) to have a root canal and two crowns replaced. On the way to pick her up, the air conditioner in the truck stopped working. Since her last appointment took longer than expected, Chuck stopped at a garage along the way and had it repaired. Our next stop was Adolph Thomae Jr. County Park in Arroyo City, TX, (north of Brownsville) where we arrived on April 20th. We stayed there an entire week. The first day we spent at the park, built a fire and cooked a beer can chicken (see photos). While we were there Lobo also received his summer hair cut. On the following days, Dick traveled to several nearby birding destinations and we visited South Padre Island (see photos), enjoying a meal at the Shrimp Haus (<- -please click). On Wednesday we took a trip with Dick to Matamoros, Mexico (see photos). We parked on the US side, walked over and took a sightseeing trolley with guide. Dick invited us for dinner at “Mi Pueblito” (< -- please click). It was a very hot day and Lobo stayed at home in the air-conditioned RV. On Thursday, we received our monthly package of mail from Michael in Fort Wayne, so we had a busy time with it. That afternoon we were treated with the sight of barges and tug boats on the Arroyo Colorado behind our RV (see photos). Dick is fascinated by tugs and it was a real treat for him. Our time there flew by. Except for the flies, mosquitoes and heat, it was quite nice. We left on Friday April 27th around noon and headed toward Kingsville, picnicking along the way on US 77 between Raymondville and Norias. We stayed two nights in Kingsville, visiting the King Ranch (Links: http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/King_Ranch and http://www.king-ranch.com/index.html) while Dick visited nearby parks and other bird areas. The next day we took US 77 north to Sinton and then Texas 188 to the gulf at Rockport and Texas 35 (North) to Lamar and Goose Island State Park. This was to be our last destination with Dick. The bird migration northward was just about over and this was his last stop before he headed west again. We spent five nights directly on the beach. Dick preferred the nearby forested area of the park and stayed there. The wind from the gulf kept the insects away from us, but they were terrible at his campsite. The first evening there, we had supper at “Charlotte Plummers Seafare Restaurant“ (< -- please click) where we sat outside and watched the sea gulls steal the leftovers from a nearby table after the diners had left. There wasn’t anything left for them at our table though, since we took it with us for Lobo, who was patiently waiting in the truck. The 30th was windy with sun and clouds. Chuck replaced one of the tires, that was due for replacement. That evening we had supper together in the RV, then we went to Dick’s campsite, where we sat around the fire until after 10 PM and watched a visiting raccoon. We then retired for the evening and thus ended the month of April. To be continued in May 2007. |
Travel Journal April 2007
Our Motto: Home is, where our RV is.
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| Along Texas highway 170 between Lajitas and Presidio |
| Texas is the place where there are the most cows and the least milk and the most rivers and the least water in them, and where you can look the farthest and see the least. Henry Louis Mencken (journalist, satirist, social critic, cynic, and freethinker) September 12, 1880 – January 29, 1956 |